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The mobile betting operations of Paddy Power.com are set to get a significant boost with the imminent launch of a new UK television campaign with a comical take on smart phone usage. This third sally into television marketing by the gambling group was created by Big Al’s Creative Emporium, with media handling by M2m.

The campaign features two models rather sensually extolling the virtues of their smart phones to each other, who are interrupted by a third model with some factual information about using the Paddy Power mobile betting facility.

Paddy Power marketing manager Adam Perrin said: “This campaign reflects our position at the cutting edge of the betting industry and being the most modern bookmaker for punters to bet with while retaining Paddy Power’s established brand strengths for fun and irreverence.”

The gambling group’s previous campaign, also by Big Al’s, featured the controversial “blind football” creative, which certainly did not go unnoticed, perhaps for the wrong reasons . It was reportedly one of the most complained about TV ads in 2010, although the Advertising Standards Association rejected calls to ban it last summer despite receiving over a thousand complaints.

Paddy Power is currently searching for creative ideas via Ideabounty.com. The bookmaker is offering $3,500 to whoever comes up with a really good creative advertising idea.

A casino project in the U.S. state of Maine has been delayed indefinitely due to government bureaucracy, convoluted regulations and the objection of a competitor. Basically, it’s exactly the kind of thing you expect to happen.

Edward MacColl, a lawyer representing Scarborough Downs is challenging the proposed location of a new Oxford casino. The proposed casino would be run by Black Bear Entertainment, a competitor of Scarborough Downs. MacColl told the Maine Gambling Control Board telling that they can’t approve of Black Bear’s casino because the location would violate state law.

A law passed in 2004 prohibits a casino being built within 100 miles of an existing gambling facility, such as another casino, a slot parlor or a race track. According to MacColl, the proposed site for the new Black Bear casino is only 94 miles from Hollywood Slots in Bangor, Maine. MacColl is measuring using a straight line, but representatives from Black Bear Entertainment don’t agree with his as-the-crow-flies measurement. They say that the site is legal because, when traveling by common roads, the site is 125 miles from Hollywood Slots.

The dispute comes from the fact that (surprise, surprise) the law as it is written is unclear on how that distance is measured. According to MacColl, such measurements are usually done by a radius. According to Daniel Walker, a lawyer representing Black Bear Entertainment, “if they didn’t say radial miles, they must have meant road miles.”

To make matters even more convoluted, it appears that Scarborough Downs is also trying to circumvent that same law. They have proposed a location in Oxford that could not exist if Black Bear’s casino is built, because the two would be too close together. However, they are also proposing building a racino in Biddeford, Maine. If either the Black Bear casino or the Scarborough Downs casino is built in Oxford, that would be too close to also build the racino in Biddeford.

Oh, and there’s another regulatory hurdle. The proposed racino in Biddeford would be 11 miles away from the current racetrack. That same 2004 law says that the racetracks cannot be moved more than 5 miles in order to be converted into a racino.

Peter Martin, a spokesman for Black Bear Entertainment, says that he doesn’t believe Scarborough Downs even has a proposed casino site in Oxford. He believes it is all a bluff in an attempt to stop their project. “Is he (MacColl) saying to the Biddeford people that, at the moment, he’s ready to abandon the Biddeford referendum and try to find a site in Oxford County to apply up there?” he asked. “Is he applying for two now?”

John Morris, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, told the board that “the governor and governor’s office interpret mileage in this law to mean road miles.” The Gambling Control Board has decided that more research must be conducted before they vote on the issue. On Friday, they plan to meet at the Maine Department of Public Safety offices to determine which measurement, road miles or radial miles, should be used.

Tags: Black Bear Entertainment, casino expansion, Maine casino, Scarborough Downs

Swedish gaming software provider Net Entertainment released its full year results to 31 December 2010 this week. Eleven new licensee’s and ten new customers’ casinos were launched in 2010.

Key performance indicators for the full year period to 31 December 2010 include:

• Revenues of SEK 368.3 million (2009: SEK 300.1) million reflecting an increase of 22.7%

• Operating Profit up by 13.5% to SEK 368.3 million (2009: SEK 300.1 million)

• Profit after tax increased by 11.9% to SEK 120.5 million (2009: 107.7 million)

• Eleven new license agreements were signed, including Gioco Digitale/bwin.it, Interwetten, Intralot, Stan James and JAXX/Mybet, and ten new customers’ casinos were launched

Comments from Johan Öhman , President and CEO: “Our industry is going through significant change as many countries around the world are in the process of regulating online gaming which affect both operators and suppliers. As a systems supplier Net Entertainment has to invest in adapting its products and offerings to the requirements of each jurisdiction which is both complex and costly. Long term, it is our opinion that regulated markets will generate significant business opportunities as they fuel further market growth and stability.

“Overall, Net Entertainment is well positioned to benefit from the global market development for online gaming. We will therefore continue to invest in technology and personnel to meet regulatory requirements and re-enforce our organization which will have a short term impact on our profit margin.

“To capture the strategic opportunities we see on the market, the organization was increased with 49 employees during 2010. The organizational reinforcement is necessary partly for the development of a solution for mobile devices and a new platform with significantly increased capacity needed to meet future demands.

“We see a strong interest in our product and view the chances of closing several interesting deals during 2011 as very promising. We are also well positioned to benefit from the opportunities which arise from the regulation of our market. All in all we have an excellent position for continued strong development.”

Online gaming provider, 888 Holdings PLC has released its fourth quarter 2010 and twelve months ending 31 December 2010 results this week. The company confirmed that discussions were still ongoing with Ladbrokes, contrary to media speculation that talks had stalled.

888 also announced that an innovative PokerCam product release is imminent which will allow players real-time video streams in real-money poker games.

Furthermore, the trading performance of the Wink Bingo business, acquired in December 2009, has been strong and has exceeded the Board’s expectations.

Fiscal Results Include:

Q4/2010 Key Performance Indicators (Compared to Q3/2010):

• An 18% increase in group total operating Income to $ 71 million.
• A B2C total operating income of $60 million which reflects a 17% increase. The result attributed to a boost in growth in Casino, Poker and Bingo.
• Casino $31 million, 17% increase
• Bingo $14 million, 13% increase
• Poker $11 million, 28% increase
• Emerging Offering at $4 million, 12%
• B2B reflects a 21% increase of $11 million.
• Number of active customers B2C Casino and Poker at 283,000, a 71% increase driven by product improvement and successful marketing
• Casino at 124,000 up 69%
• Poker at 201,000 up 74%

2010 Year On Year Key Performance Indicators (compared to 2009) include:

• A 6% increase in group total operating income in 2010 to $262 million (2009: $247 million).
• Total Operating Income B2C in 2010 at $222 million (2009: $195 million) reflecting a 13% increase
• Casino at $117 million (2009: $119 million) down 1%
• Poker at $38 million (2009: $52 million) down 26%
• Bingo at $50 million (2009: $11 million) indicates a 370% increase
• Total Operating Income B2C Emerging Offering at US$16 million (2009: US$15 million) reflects a 12% increase
• Total Operating Income B2B in 2010 at $40 million, reflecting a decline of 21%
• As at 31 December 2010, 888 reports a 23% increase in Casino, Poker and Sport real money registered customer accounts to 8.7 million.

Gigi Levy, Chief Executive Officer, 888 Holdings Plc said:

“We are very pleased with the results delivered during the last quarter of 2010 – especially the record 18% quarterly sequential growth. Our marketing activities have driven record numbers of players to our sites, and growth was achieved across our business lines. We are particularly encouraged by our Poker business, which showed 28% sequential growth.

2011 has started well and given that our various business initiatives are progressing as planned we expect to grow the business further during the year.”